310 The Smithsonian Institution 



also that he had entire control over the room in which the 

 property of the Institute was deposited. 



At the end of 1843, therefore, the National Institute 

 found itself bereft of the control of the government collec- 

 tions, without funds, except the membership dues, which 

 were much in arrears, and without quarters for its large and 

 rapidly accumulating collections. 



"The real cause of the decline of the National Institute," 

 writes Doctor Goode, 1 "was simple enough. Failing to 

 secure grants of money from Congress, the society was over- 

 whelmed by the deluge of museum materials, which in re- 

 sponse to its enthusiastic and widely-circulated appeals came 

 to it from all quarters of the world. The annual receipts 

 from the assessment of members were insufficient to pay for 

 the care of the collections, and although by virtue of the long 

 term of its charter the collections were kept together until 

 1 86 1, there was little science and little energy manifested in 

 this administration." 



While the events we have mentioned were taking place 

 extended discussions were going on in Congress, and in the 

 country generally, regarding the proper disposition to be 

 made of the bequest of James Smithson. It is unnecessary 

 in the present connection to consider the various views put 

 forth further than to remark that several schemes included 

 provisions for museums of natural history and the arts. 



The act of incorporation of the Smithsonian Institution 

 passed August 10, 1846, provided that the Regents, having 

 selected a proper site, " shall cause to be erected a suitable 

 building of plain and durable materials and structure, without 

 unnecessary ornament, and of sufficient size, and with suitable 

 rooms or halls for the reception and arrangement, upon a 

 liberal scale, of objects of natural history, including a geologi- 



1 Goode. " Genesis of the United States National Museum," page 328. 



